Cenobia

Cenobia

Thy next foe is...A guardian set loose...A closed-off city beyond the channel...It lusts for destruction...

Profile

Developer Nickname

Cerberus

Height

11 feet (3.4 meters)

Length

18 feet (5.5 meters)

Gameplay

Time Attack goals (Normal/ Hard)

9:00/9:00 (Original, PS3)9:00/8:15 (PS4)

Agro

No

Sigils

Normal: 1 major Hard: 1 major

Cenobia is the nickname given to the fourteenth colossus, found in the ruins of a large city in quadrantC2 of the Forbidden Lands. It is similar in size to the equally relatively-small colossus Celosia.

Contents

Path to the colossus

The ancient city is northwest of the Shrine of Worship, and there are a few ways to get there, but the quickest way is through the gorge at D2. Cross either the north or west land bridges in quadrant F4 and let the Ancient Sword point northwest. Check the map once in the narrow passages to make sure Wander is headed in the right direction. Once at the northwest area of the Forbidden Lands, be on the lookout for a path marked by many sets of small pillars on either side. This is the entrance to the city. Unfortunately, the connecting passage contains a body of water that Agro cannot pass through. A cutscene will play as the player enters the city on its eastern side. The colossus sits atop a temple to the southwest (shown at the very end of the scene), but take some time to explore the environment first if one is new - the upcoming battle will cover nearly every ledge, bridge, column, and tower. Approach the colossus' temple in the western end of the city to begin. As with Celosia, be ready to run for cover the second the fight starts.

Walkthrough

Video - Battle with Cenobia

Shadow of the Colossus - 14th Colossus 2 2

The colossus is fully-armored, and there doesn't appear to be a clear method to expose any fur. The goal for now, however, is to simply get away and find high ground. Cenobia is extremely aggressive and will ram the bottom of whatever structure Wander happens to be on in an attempt to dislodge him. When the battle begins, quickly get on top of the overturned pillar to the left. At the other end of the pillar, there's a ledge Wander can jump onto. Jump up and run across to the next walkway, and the next. After this, the player will have to climb a ridged pillar. (A fully-charged jump will let Wander skip a ridge, but don't tire him out.)
At first, it seems like there's nowhere to go after this. Notice, however, that the pillar Wander is on looks a lot like the fallen one he jumped on a minute ago. The colossus needs to knock the pillar down, but its constant ramming attacks aren't quite strong enough. The solution is simple: Anger it by shooting it with an arrow or two (use the "look at the colossus" button - by default - to help with aiming). The next time it attacks the pillar, its base will give way and a cutscene will show the pillar falling down. Be extremely careful not to fall off here. This first column is particularly dangerous, as the top of the pillar falls right over a deep canal. Falling in there means the player has got a long and very dangerous run back to the first pillar. To avoid falling, hang off the edge of the pillar that will face up when it hits the ground.

Following the walkways from here will bring the player to a series of pillars. Continue provoking the colossus from atop the columns until a ridged tower has been reached, which should also be climbed. For this structure, Wander will need to move alongside one of the ledges to get to a side where he can reach the top. Don't shoot at the colossus from this tower; jump onto another pillar just to the south and shoot a few arrows at it from there. Once this tower breaks, a cutscene will play showing it smashing into a wall near where Wander first entered the city.

The next part is tricky. The player has to get on the "roof" above them, and the only way up is a ridged wall on the other side of the room Wander just crashed into. Wait for the colossus to get as far away as possible, then make a run for it. Notice that the door arch here is too narrow for the colossus to pass, and it has to go around the whole area to the other side of the arch; use this to lure it away and buy some valuable time. Once on top of the roof, shoot at Cenobia again. The colossus will run into the central pillar holding the roof up, and everything will come crashing down, breaking the colossus' back armor and severely damaging the armor protecting its head. This will also reveal the major sigil on its back. The next time the colossus rams something, the shock of the impact will stun it for several seconds, allowing Wander to stab its weakpoint a few times. Be careful when the stun wears off, as the colossus will continue its vicious attacks to the last.

Weakspots

Tips & tricks

It is possible to jump on Cenobia and not get injured; the player can leap onto Cenobia and jump again at the pillars and grab on.

As Cenobia knocks down each pillar, it is relatively easy to just jump from the top of one pillar to another. This may buy players a few extra seconds on Time Attack.

After Cenobia's armor has been shattered, Cenobia will usually be stunned for a few seconds every time it attempts to ram a stone pillar. Henceforth, after its armor is broken, it is advised to take cover on the (collapsed) stone pillars. This gives the player some great opportunities to stab its weak point, because every time it rams the pillar, Cenobia is stunned.

On Hard Mode, after Cenobia's armor is broken, the player can also use the Harpoon of Thunder to weaken it from a distance. This is a safe and sure way to defeat Cenobia without having to risk getting near it too much.

Trivia

Both Cenobia and Celosia are described by Dormin as "a guardian set loose". Dormin also uses the line "It lusts for destruction..." to describe both Cenobia and Barba.

In the Shadow of the Colossus official artbook and guidebook, Cenobia is stated to be a Cerberus. Like this mythological creature, it plays the role of a guardian - as described by Dormin. This title of Cerberus may also refer to Cenobia's somewhat dog-like physique and movement as well as its aggressiveness towards intruders (in Cenobia's case the intruder is Wander). However, Cenobia has only one head, while Cerberus is known for having at least three heads.

Cenobia is one of only three colossi that are shown to be able to jump, the other two being Celosia and Dirge. Along with Celosia, it is also one of only two colossi that are ever seen running, and the only colossi that exits its introductory scene charging at full speed towards Wander.

While fighting Cenobia, the tracks "Liberated Guardian" and "A Despair Filled Farewell" play; these tracks also play in the same order in the fight against Celosia and Kuromori.

Cenobia is roughly the same size as an adult African elephant. It is, however, slightly shorter than Celosia, making it the shortest of all colossi.

Cenobia has mixed reviews from fans; some disliked the fact that, along with Celosia and Kuromori, Cenobia is relatively small and therefore not as epic a fight compared to the majority of the colossi. However, others liked the puzzle element involved in leading Cenobia around the ancient city in order to expose its weakspot.

Cenobia makes some very distinctly lion-like sounds.

Cenobia and Celosia are very similar in many ways. They are the smallest colossi, the most aggressive, fully-armored, and cannot be damaged until the armor is broken, both make lion-esque sounds, and, obviously, their names are similar. However, Celosia is slightly more aggressive than Cenobia, as Celosia will attack Wander indiscriminately, whereas if Wander is on a pillar, Cenobia will attack once, then circle the pillar or even walk away from it until provoked. Also, Celosia shows fear of fire, but it is unknown if Cenobia fears fire as well.

The city ruins where the battle takes place share a strong resemblance (like most of the structures in Shadow of the Colossus) to the castle in Ico. Whether any of the scattered ruins have a connection to the castle in Ico or even The Last Guardian is not known.

The size of the arena in the fight against Cenobia is only second to Malus' arena.

Sometimes, if Wander is running against a wall, Cenobia will knock Wander through the mountain and he will fall through the scenery.

Gallery

Image of Cenobia taken from the official artbook.

Wander facing Cenobia.

Wander and Cenobia.

Cenobia at its perch before the battle.

Cenobia seen from behind.

A shot of Cenobia head-on.

Cenobia viewed from a height.

Cenobia with shattered armor.

Cenobia prepared to collapse in defeat.

Development sketch of Cenobia taken from the official artbook.

Size chart for Cenobia.

The limited edition figurine of Cenobia released exclusively in Japan.